Romberg’s test is a physical exam maneuver done as part of a thorough neurologic exam. In the test, patients are asked to maintain a standing position while keeping their eyes closed. A positive test result, indicated by loss of stability or falling, can indicate disease in the posterior aspect of the spinal cord. It could also indicate having inner ear problems. More rarely, patients with disease of the cerebellar region of the brain could also develop a positive result.

In order the perform Romberg’s test, a patient is asked to stand up with his or her feet parallel and positioned close to each other. Sometimes patients are asked to stretch their arms out with their palms facing up, but it is not required in order to get an accurate result from the test. Patients are then asked to close their eyes and maintain the standing position without falling. A positive, or abnormal, result occurs when the patient becomes unsteady, swaying back and forth and perhaps even falling. If patients are able to maintain a stable standing position, then the test is considered to be negative and normal.

Ad

Having a positive Romberg’s test typically points towards the presence of pathology in the central nervous system. Specifically, it typically indicates the presence of disease in the posterior part of the spinal cord, a region that controls a patient’s ability to sense position in space. With disease in this part of the spinal cord, the nerves that sense position in the legs do not work, and without this input to the brain, the body cannot adequately maintain a standing position. When the eyes are open, this deficit is typically compensated for by using visual clues, and the patient can maintain balance.

A number of different diseases and other conditions can cause a positive Romberg’s test. Having a vitamin B12 deficiency is one cause of a positive result. Advanced syphilis can also damage the posterior spinal cord, leading to the postural instability associated with a positive test. Other conditions such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, multiple sclerosis, transverse myelitis, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy could also cause positive test results.

Occasionally, having problems in the workings of the inner ear can also cause a patient to have a positive Romberg’s test. This part of the body also helps people to maintain balance. Conditions such as labyrinthitis, benign positional vertigo, acoustic neuroma, and migraine-associated vertigo could cause positive results because they interfere with the workings of the inner ear.

Discuss this Article

croydonPost 3

I wonder if anyone has ever put together a "workout" with all these kinds of tests for people who want to make sure that they are doing OK health-wise at home. I mean, there are all kinds of tests that you don't strictly need a doctor to perform, and which wouldn't do any harm to be done at home. This one looks like anyone could do it (as long as they made sure they weren't going to fall and crack their head if they fail the test).

The tests wouldn't take the place of actually going to the doctor if you felt sick, of course, but if you just wanted to double check how everything was every now and then, they could be one way of doing that and in some cases might lead people to early detection of problems.

MorPost 2

@pleonasm - I wouldn't count on this test as the way to discover if someone has a vitamin deficiency of any kind though. You don't know if it will always work, or if it will work before the deficiency is bad enough to be doing damage. It's better to try and work on these kinds of potential problems with diet before they become actual problems.

There's actually a test on one of the video games I have at home which involves standing like this with your eyes closed and it shows you how well you balanced afterwards. So I guess I know that I'm doing OK on these counts at least, because I haven't ever fallen over from it.

pleonasmPost 1

That's actually a pretty good way to find out if someone has a vitamin B12 deficiency. That's a deficiency that's common among vegans because it's a vitamin that can only really be found in animal products.

Generally, they have to find some other way to supply it if they are committed to never eating any animal products. So, if you know someone who might have this deficiency, you could challenge them to do this test to see if they do.

Post your comments

Please enter the code:

Login

Register

Make changes/additions/deletions to the article below, and one of our editors will publish your suggestions if warranted.

Optional: Explanation of your recommended changes

Thank You!

One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted.
Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive,
this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!